TRENTON —
A Harrison couple and their adult son have been indicted on charges including conspiracy and insurance fraud for allegedly falsifying a car loan application to buy a $139,000 Bentley, then torching the vehicle and reporting it stolen, N.J. Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced last week.
According to Hoffman and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, Chester Jarzabek, 63, his wife Anna Jarzabek, 61, had purchased the pre-owned luxury car from D.I.B Leasing in Teterboro, where their son John Jarzabek, 26, worked as a salesman. The couple allegedly conspired with their son and the dealership’s general manager, Hector Marquez, 43, of Monroe, to burn the auto for insurance money.
At 1:07 a.m., Aug. 4, 2013, the torched Bentley was found at the intersection of Rae St. and St. Ann’s Ave. in the South Bronx, authorities said. Marquez, 43, of Monroe, has been indicted as a co-conspirator in the alleged scheme.
He and the three Jarzabeks are also charged with falsifying a car loan application and providing bogus documents to inflate the couple’s income to obtain financing for the vehicle.
A fifth defendant, Michael Ricciardi, 53, of Wayne, was also charged with conspiracy in connection with the loan application. He had been employed as a bookkeeper for the now-defunct D.I.B. Leasing.
“These defendants are accused of pulling out all stops to line their own pockets,” said Hoffman. “It is especially distasteful that the alleged criminal behavior was a family affair. This kind of blatant fraud against banks and insurance companies will be prosecuted vigorously by the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.”
In addition to the second-degree conspiracy and insurance fraud charges, all three Jarzabeks and Marquez were indicted on two counts of second-degree theft by deception. The four, along with Ricciardi, were additionally charged with third-degree theft by deception.
Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Christopher Iu noted that some important cases have started with anonymous tips. People who are concerned about insurance cheating and have information about a fraud can report it anonymously by calling the toll-free hotline at 877-55-FRAUD, or by visiting www.NJInsurancefraud.org.
State regulations permit a reward to be paid to an eligible person who provides information that leads to an arrest, prosecution and conviction for insurance fraud.
